Fast Food Favorites: A Look At What Americans Prefer Most By U.S. Regions

Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle
, ContributorI cover retail, customer service and all things to do with small biz.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

In a recent survey conducted by retail design firm King Retail Solutions, consumers revealed their favorite local and chain quick service restaurants among six U.S. regions - Midwest, Northeast, Pacific, Rocky, Southeast, and Southwest. As part of this survey, the 1,200 most recent Yelp! reviews (200 per region) were analyzed, with any pros and cons mentioned on Yelp! identified and cataloged. Considering we live in a day and age where online reviews influence future consumer behavior, these findings offer key insight to companies leading the way in fast food today.

The Chick-fil-A restaurant is seen in Chantilly, Virginia on January 2, 2015. This national fast-food restaurant was recently listed among the top in the country based on a study using Yelp! consumer reviews. AFP Photo/PAUL J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Among the key findings was that the majority of Yelp! reviewers had positive things to say about quick service, fast food restaurants that included the following:

80% love the food

40% love the customer service

19% love that it’s fast

14% love that it’s affordable

12% love the fresh ingredients

10% love the interior atmosphere

10% love the big portions

8% love that it’s clean

7% love the convenient location

3% love that it’s open early, late, or 24 hours

On the contrary, the top negative complaints revealed included the following:

12% said food quality is poor

9% said it’s not fast enough

8% said customer service is lacking

5% said it’s over-priced

3% said the food is unhealthy

3% said servings are too small

2% said the space was dirty or unkempt

2% said there wasn’t enough seating

Men vs. Women

Surprisingly, men and women favored quick service restaurants for similar reasons. For men, 80% revealed they like fast food restaurants because the food is good while 79% of women agree with men on this. Meanwhile, 43% of women believe the service is good at quick service restaurants while only 38% of men believe this is the case. When it comes to price, a collective 5% believe quick service restaurants are over-priced.

Chain Favorites by Region

Tastebuds vary... that's no secret. So when it comes to fast food favorites, it's no surprise that chains vary by each region. For the Midwest, Chick-fil-A tops the list as a favorite fast food restaurant, with Chipotle, Culver’s, Firehouse Subs, Five Guys, Raising Cane’s, Taco Bell and Tastee Freez following on the top fast food favorites list.

In the Northeast, Chick-fil-A once again tops the list, with Chipotle also falling into second place.
Next up is Five Guys, Pollo Campero, Popeyes, Potbelly Sub Shop, Shake Shack, Taco Bell and finally, Wendy’s.

The Pacific beats a bit more to their own drum, with Chiptole leading the list of fast food favorites. Following Chiptole is Hot Dog on a Stick - owned by Global Franchise Group, a strategic brand management company with a focus on franchising - then
In-N-Out Burger, McDonald’s, MOD Pizza, Original Tommy’s, Popeyes, Potbelly Sub Shop, Taco Bell and Waba Grill.